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<th colspan="3" align="center">1.&nbsp;This newsgroup</th>
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<h2 class="title" style="clear: both"><a id=
"newsgroup"></a>1.&nbsp;This newsgroup</h2>
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<dt>1.1. <a href="newsgroup.html#id2518554">What is the purpose of
comp.lang.lisp?</a></dt>
<dt>1.2. <a href="newsgroup.html#id2506122">What is on-topic on
comp.lang.lisp?</a></dt>
<dt>1.3. <a href="newsgroup.html#id2456925">What is off-topic on
comp.lang.lisp?</a></dt>
<dt>1.4. <a href="newsgroup.html#id2506218">Is Scheme a
lisp?</a></dt>
<dt>1.5. <a href="newsgroup.html#id2456892">Can you help me with my
homework?</a></dt>
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<td align="left" valign="top"><a id="id2518554"></a><a id=
"id2518551"></a><b>1.1.</b></td>
<td align="left" valign="top">
<p>What is the purpose of <a href="news:comp.lang.lisp" target=
"_top">comp.lang.lisp</a>?</p>
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<p>The charter at <a href=
"ftp://ftp.uu.net/usenet/control/comp/comp.lang.lisp" target=
"_top">ftp://ftp.uu.net/usenet/control/comp/comp.lang.lisp</a>
states that the purpose of comp.lang.lisp is "Discussion about
LISP". It is somewhat in the nature of things that newsgroups'
purposes evolve, as do names. Firstly, the newsgroup has evolved
such that the main topic of discussion is ANSI Common Lisp, though
discussion about other lisp variants is welcome within reasonable
bounds. Secondly, the spelling "LISP" is pass&eacute;; while it
does reflect the initial abbreviation, it no longer reflects the
actual language, so "Lisp" is the preferred capitalization.</p>
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<tr class="question">
<td align="left" valign="top"><a id="id2506122"></a><a id=
"id2456942"></a><b>1.2.</b></td>
<td align="left" valign="top">
<p>What is on-topic on comp.lang.lisp?</p>
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<p>Discussion of the language defined by the ANSI Common Lisp
standard is definitely on-topic on comp.lang.lisp. Unlike
comp.lang.c, we do not restrict our discussions to the standard,
but also actively discuss the differences between implementations
and implementation-specific extensions.</p>
<p>Since the Lisp community is remarkably long-lived, discussion of
the history and evolution of Lisp tends also to be welcomed, or at
least tolerated; discussion of non-standard lisps (though generally
not Scheme or Emacs Lisp) is also accepted. Though <span class=
"acronym">CLOS</span> (the Common Lisp Object System) has <a href=
"news:comp.lang.lisp.clos" target="_top">its own newsgroup</a> it
is also part of ANSI CL, and so is a valid topic for
discussion.</p>
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<td align="left" valign="top"><a id="id2456925"></a><a id=
"id2456927"></a><b>1.3.</b></td>
<td align="left" valign="top">
<p>What is off-topic on comp.lang.lisp?</p>
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<td align="left" valign="top"></td>
<td align="left" valign="top">
<p>Questions about Scheme, Emacs Lisp and AutoLisp tend not to be
terribly welcome, as they have their own fora in the <a href=
"news:comp.lang.scheme" target="_top">comp.lang.scheme</a>,
<a href="comp.emacs" target="_top">comp.emacs</a> and <a href=
"comp.cad.autocad" target="_top">comp.cad.autocad</a>
newsgroups.</p>
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<tr class="question">
<td align="left" valign="top"><a id="id2506218"></a><a id=
"id2506222"></a><b>1.4.</b></td>
<td align="left" valign="top">
<p>Is Scheme a lisp?</p>
</td>
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<tr class="answer">
<td align="left" valign="top"></td>
<td align="left" valign="top">
<p>Scheme is a member of the greater family of Lisp languages,
assuming that is considered to include others like Dylan and Emacs
Lisp. The design of Scheme <span class=
"emphasis"><em>predates</em></span> the ANSI Common Lisp standard,
and some CL features such as lexical scoping may be considered to
have been derived from Scheme.</p>
<p>More detailed comparative discussions don't generally prove very
productive; those that are interested in discussing Scheme should
first consider discussing it in <a href="news:comp.lang.scheme"
target="_top">comp.lang.scheme</a>, where discussion would be much
more welcome and appropriate.</p>
</td>
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<tr class="question">
<td align="left" valign="top"><a id="id2456892"></a><a id=
"id2456898"></a><b>1.5.</b></td>
<td align="left" valign="top">
<p>Can you help me with my homework?</p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr class="answer">
<td align="left" valign="top"></td>
<td align="left" valign="top">
<p>But of course!</p>
<p>However, we will need the e-mail address of your lecturer or
teaching instructor to best aid you; for it is only fair that if we
do the homework we should get the course credits. Alternatively,
should you wish to hire a consultant from the group, competitive
rates can be arranged.</p>
</td>
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<tr class="answer">
<td align="left" valign="top"></td>
<td align="left" valign="top">
<p>Post the assignment, and your attempt so far; state explicitly
that it is homework. You may find a kind soul on the group to
explain some point that you are missing; this is more likely the
more visible your own work is. Posts of the form "my assignment is
due tomorrow please hlep!" are unlikely to engender much
sympathy.</p>
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